Thursday, September 29, 2016

The Vanishing Wife: An Action-Packed Crime Thriller

By Barry Finlay

How far will a man go when his family is threatened? Mason Seaforth is about to find out. He is a mild mannered accountant living a quiet, idyllic life in the quiet community of Gulfport, Florida with his wife, Samantha. At least, it's quiet and idyllic until Sami, as she's known to her friends, vanishes the night of their 20th anniversary. Mason is thrown into a life that is meant for other people as he and their brash friend, Marcie Kane, try everything to find out what has happened to Sami. A search of Sami's computer uncovers notes describing a past that Sami has buried for more than 20 years. Mason and Marcie are thrust into a race against a sadistic killer to discover what has happened to Mason's wife. He reluctantly exchanges his spreadsheets for a Glock 17 and he and Marcie follow a trail left behind by Sami which unexpectedly leads them deeper and deeper into a dark world in Canada. Mason is required to make decisions that he could never imagine himself making and each one has deadlier consequences than the last. The wrong one could result in the death of his entire family.

Mason and Sami
Seaforth celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary enjoying each
other’s company. When Mason awakens early the next morning, Sami has vanished
without a trace. After reporting her disappearance to the police, he receives a
threatening call. With the help of Sami’s best friend Marcie, Mason must
unravel the sparse clues that Sami has left behind, in order to find his wife
before a very dangerous man from her past does.

I enjoyed this
suspenseful tale of mystery and intrigue. It kept me on edge trying to figure
out just why a wife would up and leave what appeared to be an idealic life for
seemingly no reason at all. I could not put the book down until I finished it.
The camaraderie between Mason and Marcie was what made the story, in my
opinion. I liked that they didn’t have a good relationship before, but worked
perfectly together in their crisis. I really liked the plot and the characters
that Finley brought to life in this story. I could tell how much the characters
had grown by the ending. The plot takes place in just a few days, but it seemed
like so much longer. I really wanted the story to continue.

Sunday, September 25, 2016

And the Blood Ran Black

By Nathan E. Harvey

Two brothers are thrust into a reality that makes them yearn for their years of deployment overseas. There were no news tickers or conspiracy theories to soften the sudden reality; the two soldiers witnessed the beginning of the end firsthand. Where would you go? Who would you save? This is the account of a small group of strangers who become family in order to somehow carry on against impossible odds.

Finally, there’s a zombie book that doesn’t have to rely on shock value and gore to elicit an emotional response. Between bouts of laughter and of tears, “And the Blood Ran Black” will have you forgetting to breathe while it unapologetically grabs you by the eyeballs.

Brothers John
and Moto were fighting in the same squad overseas, when they were imprisoned by
underground boxing mobsters. That’s when they discover experimental procedures
were being done on people, essentially turning them into zombies. The brothers
escape and make their way back to the United States for safety, and to prepare
for the worse. They quickly discover the zombie virus has spread worldwide. As
they search for a safe refuge, they add more people to their ragtag group. But,
of course, they lose a few too.

If you like The
Walking Dead, you will enjoy this story line. Almost always in these types of
stories, there is an instigator, or a troublemaker. I’m glad to say that there
were none. They were all likeable people. I don’t believe the story suffered
for it either. I was scared for the group and feared any of them could be the
next to go. After becoming so invested in each one, it was heartbreaking to
imagine the next one to go. I was hoping they would all make it to the end of
the book, but with this type of story, it is inevitable that some won’t make
it. The twist at the end was unexpected, but welcomed.